In one of the more useful articles that they've ever produced, the US Ski Team web site recently wrote about exactly what is required to represent the United States in the Olympics as a snowboardcross rider. The quick and dirty version is this: it takes A LOT.
The team can only take a total of two men and two women (base on World Cup results) and if there's enough room on the overall Team, they might be able to add one more. Considering that 6 of the top 20 SBX riders in the world right now are Americans, that's a pretty tall order.
As the top American finisher in the season's first World Cup, Seth is already well on his way to earning one of those two spots.
For all the info you can handle on how to be an Olympic SBX rider, check out the full article right here.
Seth warms up on race day in Argentina. Photo courtesy of US Snowboarding
Yesterday was a big day for Seth and the rest of the US Snowboard Team -the first official day of the World Cup season, and the start of the road to Vancouver. Riders took qualifying runs on the freshly built course in Argentina, and Seth emerged at the end of the day in second place, just behind Pierre Vaultier, and one spot ahead of last year's World Cup champ Markus Schairer.
He was the top American, and had the fastest second run in the field. An auspicious start to the season to be sure, but the real test will be in the actual race today. For the most up to date results check out
www.fis-ski.com, and for a write of yesterday's qualifiers, check out
http://www.ussnowboarding.com/news?storyId=1954.
And be sure to check back here soon for Seth's take on the weekend and his outlook on the season